For the past year we’ve been going to the woods with Lucy and Harriet and filming the same 12 shots, whether in summer heat, yellowed leaves, or blanketing snow. The result is this video with an incredible perspective of the seasons and a surprising story that emerged (all caught by Wes Sam-Bruce, the video’s director).

We’ll post more stories soon of how this all came about. For now, enjoy the magic of the video.

While on tour in the mid-west this last July Giants & Pilgrims were recorded singing “Breaking Love”. The owners of Crescendo are amazing people and you should hit them up next time you’re in Madison, WI. They filmed this after our concert there.

Our theme for the November Almanac is “table” and this song embodies the spiritual dynamics of the table very purposefully. Enjoy!

I had the opportunity to write the music for this short film about the Chans (my music starts at 2 minutes in)

Francis Chan is a New York Times best selling author (Crazy Love) and his latest project is a book he’s co-written with his wife, Lisa. A series of shorts are being released to supplement the book and this film is one of them.

The film, produced by Pilar Timpane, showcases how the Chans approach family and how they live out their marriage in light of eternity. It reveals an inspiring life of intentionality, service, mission, and centering in God’s love. Producer Timpane did an incredible job capturing and presenting this.

I wrote the song in response to the film’s themes: marriage, mission, giving, etc. So the score has 4 short distinctive movements:

Every couple months I like to share some things being said or created from our Almanac No. 1 project. Here’s four very cool/ fun things:

***Below is a review done in Ruminate Magazine. Ruminate is a fantastic publication of art, poetry, and writing centered in faith and life based in Fort Collins. You wouldn’t regret picking up a subscription:

***One of my favorite comments about the album came from our Giants & Pilgrims trumpeter/instrumentalist, Craig Basercihct. A friend posted about liking the song “Shimmer No Waves” but didn’t know what it meant. Here’s Craig’s definition. He’s close…

“Shimmer no waves is a tale written much in the style of The Iliad by Homer. Taking it’s listeners on a journey spanning over the centuries it unveils the truths of life, love, and liberty. It’s writing backbone is strongly influenced by numbers 3-7 of the Bill of Rights, authored by our fore fathers.

The haunting voice of Dave Wilton providing background vocals is meant to encourage the listener to have feelings likening to those given by the Sirens of ancient Greek Mythology. It is meant to woo you, take you in, and encourage you to never leave.

One of Coons’ main influences is the driving rhythms of John Phillip Sousa which is why it is no surprise that he chooses to collaborate with trumpet on most tracks. Coons often compares his music to that of Chuck Mangione, Chris Botti, and Sousa.

I am thrilled anytime someone whose taste I trust gives me a music recommendation. So I try to share my discoveries as well (and hopefully I’ve built up some trust with you. Ha).

While in Iceland I found the following 3 musical groups. And I’ve been listening to them ever since the trip. They are great finds, breaking up my usual listening patterns and bringing freshness and inspiration to my own writing.

The first, and best, of the music discovered is a young artist named Asgeir (pronounced Ous-geear). The entire album is unreal – listenable and beautiful. It’s a mystical, more hopeful and danceable Bon Iver. Here’s a link to a weird video, but a great song. The album is “In the Silence”.http://asgeirmusic.com/#

While printing our May Almanac covers yesterday, I listened to this next artist. Olafur Arnolds creates ambient, spacious landscapes with piano and strings – then he sneaks in electronic drums. Can I say it feels subtle yet epic? I felt like I was in a movie by the end of the printing time.http://olafurarnalds.com/

Lastly, is the dirty and creative sound of Hjaltalin (I have no idea how to pronounce it correctly. Even after asking several times…) It’s a garage band kind of sound with a little bit of Icelandic soul. And a little creepy.http://www.hjaltalinmusic.com/

Our featured painting and song this month is “Held/ Like the Morning”. You can hear the album version of the song here. The piece Betony created as companion for the song is seen above, a video of us singing it together while Bet is in process in her studio is below. We caught the moment with this one-take video.

“Offering gourmet music, Under the Radar highlights some of the best undiscovered and under-appreciated tunes from Christian artists. In this one-hour weekly program, host Dave Trout shares stories, spiritual insight, and exclusive artist interviews to discover the depth of faith and creativity found in the music. Listeners participate by suggesting some of the best hidden gems in their own music collections that the world needs to hear.”

Working with Under the Radar for Giants & Pilgrims has been absolutely wonderful. They’ve been so supportive and their Escape to the Lake event was a highlight last year. (Which we’re playing again this year in July!)

We’re thrilled and honored to be featured on this episode. And they timed it the week before the album release, because they’re amazing.

Giants & Pilgrims (Tim and Betony Coons and all co-conspirators) are launching a Kickstarter campaign this Wednesday. We hope to raise funds to create our first ever project together: ALMANAC No. 1.

ALMANAC No. 1 will be a three part project of an album, art series, and monthly publication dedicated to navigating our seasons and working the fields together.

You took us up on our invitation to come by. Thank you. You are welcome here. Take your time and enjoy yourself as you explore the new site.

You’ll see we have some videos up and some accounts of Almanac Adventures. These are creative endeavors that attempt thoughtful love by involving making something with others. They also tie into the season. If you can help us come up with a better definition for Almanac Adventures, please leave a comment below!

We were asked to play at the first ever festival put on by “Under the Radar”, an internet radio station that plays more thoughtful, creative music, often of a spiritual bent. They called the event “Under the Radar: Escape to the Lake”.

It was such an amazing experience, not just because of the people and the music and the opportunities, but also because we got to take the family!

Betony, Lucy, and Harriet got to come. And then we brought friends (musician Craig Basarich, photographer Thomas Nash, artist Kathryn Buncik) to help with the trip. It was a Circus Caravan of Fun wherever we pulled up!

On one of the days we were there Betony led an Almanac Adventure. Together with some other folks they made boats together and asked the question, “What do you need to let go of this season? What are the things you want to load into this boat and leave at the lake- lightening the weight of life off your shoulders and into this vessel?”

People really got into it and took the creating seriously. Well, not too seriously. A ton of fun was still had. It made for a special moment during this get away to Wisconsin.

This September we put on a show at Atlas Church called “I Walk Slow”. It was a series of songs, stories, and meditations on Psalm 23. Photographer Jared Reno was at our first rehearsal and captured this. So beautiful. I love the energy and raw feel.

This song will be featured on our ALMANAC album. It was written with the idea of “working the fields” in mind. My favorite line is,

“Lift the veil on the summer night

House is hot, filled with dynamite

Set the table just to set us free

I’ll stay with you if you stay with me”

Just about working through those struggles. That’s the best love. The love that stays and digs in the dirt with the full hope that life will come from the messy soil.